A quick tale 182

On why she limps

When Sarasa was five or so, she came home from school one day complaining of fever. It only lasted five or six days but every waking hour was hell. Sarasa would weep from unbearable muscle pain. Her recovery was gradual and the fever left her with a permanent limp. Suseela, Easwari and Kannan were born in quick succession in the years following and Sarasa's limp became a fact of life. When she was 18, Sarasa married Chockalingam who was hard of hearing. It was felt that one disability deserved another. These days Sarasa works at the family planning centre in Nagoor. Last week, while climbing down the stairs, she misjudged the last step and tripped, twisting her ankle and tearing a ligament in the process. Her foot is now bandaged and Sarasa walks with the aid of a crutch. Her wince is genuine but her limp is exaggerated. So that the one or two people who will see Sarasa today for the first time will think that the fall has caused her to limp.